Akron Plays Host to Michigan Wednesday Night

October 17 | Men's Soccer

Akron (8-4-1, 2-1 MAC)
vs.
Michigan (5-8-3, 0-2-2 Big Ten)

Date:

Wednesday, October 18
Time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
Location: Akron, Ohio
Stadium: Lee Jackson Field

About the Zips...
- Akron saw its eight-game Mid-American Conference regular season win streak snapped with a 1-0 loss at Northern Illinois on Saturday afternoon.
- The Zips outshot the Huskies, 16-14, and had a 9-8 advantage in shots on goal but could not net a score despite dominating the run of play.
- Senior midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic led the Akron attack with five shots, four of which were on goal. Freshman Ben Zemanski also had two on-frame looks.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Evan Bush picked up a season-high seven saves, most of which were routine shots handled with ease. Bush did have one punch-out over the goal which resulted in the Huskies' only corner kick of the afternoon.
- Akron's string of scoreless minutes was snapped at 385:21 with Northern Illinois' goal at 76:31.
- The loss snapped Akron's 11-game win streak over the Huskies. Prior to Saturday Akron had not lost since the very first meeting between the two teams on Sept. 15, 1990.
- Akron closes out its slate of four Big Ten matches tonight against the Wolverines.
- The Zips are 0-2-1 vs. the Big Ten this season.
- UA came out firing and dominated from start to finish in a 2-0 nonconference win over Wright State last Tuesday night at Lee Jackson Field.
- Matt Tutich put home the game winner in the 34th minute, his second goal in the last three games.
- Ashley Kozicki added an insurance score in the 81st minute for his fourth goal of the season. Kozicki is now second on the team in goals scored (four) and total points (nine).
- Akron finished with 20 shots on the night, compared to just six for the Raiders. Ten of the 20 shots were on goal, while Wright State managed just one shot on frame.
- The Zips also finished with a 7-0 advantage in corner kicks.
- Bush was credited with his seventh shutout of the season, picking up just one save in the win over Wright State. Bush now has 21 clean sheets in 36 career starts (58 percent).
- Bush is now tied for fifth with Justin Christafaris (2001-04) on the Zips' career shutouts chart with 21.
- The 2-0 win over Wright State marked Akron's first goals in a nonconference game since its 1-0 win over Oakland on Sept. 13. During the span the Zips were held scoreless by Indiana (0-2), Ohio State (0-1) and Penn State (0-0).
- Akron has outshot is opponents, 182-106 this season, and hold a commanding 91-25 advantage in corner kicks. In the second half alone, the Zips have taken 47 corners to their opponents' 17.
- After Wednesday night, the Zips have just three regular-season games remaining, one nonconference match and two MAC tilts.

About the Wolverines...
- Michigan is 5-8-3 overall, 0-2-2 in Big Ten play this season.
- The Wolverines are coming off a 2-0 loss at Northwestern on Oct. 15.
- Michigan is 0-4-3 in its last seven games. It has not won since a 3-0 victory over Oakland on Sept. 20.
- Perica Marosevic leads the team in scoring with 12 points on five goals and two assists. Michael Holody has three goals and one assist for seven points.
- Michigan has scored 17 goals this season while allowing 22. They have shut out two opponents this season.
- Patrick Sperry has appeared in 15 games in goal, making 14 starts. He has allowed 21 goals in 1410:33 minutes for a 1.34 GAA average. A redshirt freshman, Sperry was a teammate of Akron sophomore Matt Tutich at Hinsdale Central HS.
- Head coach Steve Burns is in his seventh season at Michigan. The only head coach in school history, he has a record of 65-57-12.

Series History...
- The all-time series is tied at 2-2-0.
- Akron won last year's meeting by a 1-0 score in overtime. Sinisa Ubiparipovic game up with the game-winning goal in the 95th minute.
- Michigan won both meetings in 2004, a 4-0 win during the regular season and a 2-1 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Ann Arbor.

Last Time vs. The Wolverines...
October 28, 2005
Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Ross McKenzie have been the offensive leaders for the top-ranked Akron men's soccer team this season, so it was only fitting that the two combined for the game-winning score as the Zips defeated Michigan, 1-0 at Lee Jackson Field.
After a scoreless 90 minutes of play, the Zips converted on their 15th shot of the day as McKenzie crossed the ball into Ubiparipovic, who positioned himself in front of the net and fired a shot past UM keeper Peter Dzubay for the game-winning score at 94:29.
Akron had its chances to take the lead in the first half, including a score by McKenzie in the early minutes that was waved off due to an offsides call. McKenzie would be forced to leave the game with 13:58 left in the first half after receiving a blow to the nose, but was able to return in the second half.
Steve Kalan had an open angle on the net at 50:43, but his shot ran wide. Amico DiFranco led the Zips' offensive attack with five shots, including one right at Dzubay with just over 15 minutes remaining.
Akron held a 15-7 advantage in shots taken, with seven of the Zips' shots on-goal. The Zips did not allow the Wolverines to take a shot in the overtime period.
The Zips nearly had a score in the 81st minute when a diving Dzubay got his hand on Justin Sadler's shot which was heading toward the back of the net.

Did You Know...
Akron is 36-1-3 in its last 40 regular season and tournament Mid-American Conference matches at Lee Jackson Field. That is a string of games that dates back to the middle of the 1997 season.

Did You Know, Part 2...
Sophomore goalkeeper Evan Bush has a 0.19 goals against average in Mid-American Conference games In 10 career starts against MAC foes (920 minutes), Bush has allowed just two goals, only one of which has come during the run of play.

Akron vs. Northern Illinois Recap...
Akron could not come up with the equalizer as Northern Illinois used a goal in the 77th minute to record a 1-0 victory over the Zips Saturday afternoon at Huskie Soccer Field.
This is just the second win for the Huskies in the all-time series as the Zips hold an 11-2 advantage and are 5-1 in games at Huskie Soccer Field. The loss is the first for Akron in MAC play since a 1-0 loss to Western Michigan on Oct. 15, 2004. The Huskies are now in the driver's seat for the No. 1 seed in the MAC Tournament with just one league game remaining. The No. 1 seed with host the semifinal and final matches on Nov. 3 and 5. The winner of the tournament gains the MAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Akron finished with 16 shots to the Huskies' 14, with nine of Akron's attempts on frame. NIU had eight shots on goal as goalkeeper Evan Bush recorded a season-high seven saves.
Northern Illinois came up with the only score of the game at 76:04 when Marcus McCarty connected on his eighth goal of the season. Coming off a long throw in, the ball was headed over to McCarty who used a strong kick off his right leg to power the ball past Bush.
"Besides the long throw ins and set pieces, they didn't really generate much from the run of play," said head coach Caleb Porter. "But you have to give credit to them, they are effective at what they do and they got it done today."
Akron had a dangerous chance in the 31st minute when NIU keeper Joe Zimka had to dive to his left to stop Elliot Bradbrook's free kick as it curled toward the back post. Bradbrook had another golden opportunity in the 78th minute with the Zips trailing 1-0 as his header off Ashley Kozicki's corner kick bounced off the crossbar and back into play where the Huskies were able to clear it out.
"We were a bit unlucky with those shots off the bar as we were all over them in the second half," Porter said. "I though we outplayed them in the second half, but that doesn't always mean you are going to get the win."
The teams were knotted at the half with seven shots each. Akron had three shots on goal while the Huskies were credited with five.
Sinisa Ubiparipovic nearly snuck one into the top of the net in the 52nd minute as his free kick bounced off the crossbar and back into the field of play. The Zips set up a beautiful play at 57:23 when Kozicki found himself with an open shot that went into the net, but the Zips were called offsides on the attempt.
Ubiparipovic was injured on a foul just outside the penalty box in the 65th minute and did not return to the game.
"Losing Sinisa definitely changed the momentum for us," Porter said. "But our guys were able to regroup and kept fighting."

Zips In The National Polls...
After a 1-1 week that ended with a loss at Northern Illinois, the Zips dropped out of all four national polls for the first time this season:

Poll: This Week/Previous Week
College Soccer News: not ranked/not ranked
Soccer America: not ranked/17
Soccer Times: not ranked/22
NSCAA/adidas: not ranked/not ranked

Double Duty for McClain
For University of Akron senior Jonathan McClain, being a standout in one sport for the Zips just isn't enough. The starter for the nationally-ranked Akron men's soccer team has now taken his talents over to the football field where he is now the Zips' PAT and field goal kicker.
McClain, a second-team All-MAC defender for an Akron soccer team that was ranked No. 1 for most of the 2005 season, heard that UA head football coach J.D. Brookhart was looking to shore up the Zips' special teams play. Most notably, he was in need of a reliable kicker.
On Sept. 27, McClain and several of his soccer teammates showed up at football practice to tryout. Two days, McClain had a uniform and was on Akron's travel roster for the game at Kent State on Sept. 30. Making his debut against the Golden Flashes, McClain was 1-for-1 on PAT attempts. In last Saturday's game at Cincinnati, McClain was a perfect 2-for-2 on PAT's.
Getting to the Cincinnati game was a bit of a challenge for McClain. With the soccer team playing at Penn State Friday night and the football team scheduled to play at Cincinnati on Saturday, one of the football coaches had to stay behind to escort McClain to Cincinnati on Saturday morning.
McClain's ability on the football field should be a surprise to no one as he earned Western Ohio All-League honors as a place-kicker from 1998-2000 and finished with 202 points in his kicking career. What makes this story so unique is that he is making his mark on the football field while also competing on the soccer pitch. McClain has started all 10 games for No. 18 Akron in the left back position and has one assist.
For McClain, it now becomes a juggling act. After Friday's match at Bowling Green, McClain will return to Akron and meet up with the football squad at the team hotel as they prepare for Saturday's homecoming game vs. Miami.

Lost and Found...
The scoring touch that sophomore midfielder Matt Tutich displayed during his freshman campaign seems to have resurfaced as Tutich as recorded two goals in the Zips' last four outings, including the game winner in a 2-0 victory over Wright State on Oct. 10. Tutich also slotted home the deciding score in Akron's 2-0 win over Western Michigan on Sept. 29.
Tutich's performances over the last couple of games resemble his breakout season of 2005 where he recorded eight goals and an assist as the Zips went 18-1-4 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. For his efforts he was a first-team All-MAC pick and was selected by College Soccer News to its all-freshman third team.
On the season Tutich has started all 13 games and has two goals and one assist for five points. His 22 shot attempts ranks third on the squad.

"Ubi" To the Rescue...
Despite being the focus of every team's defense, preseason All-America and Hermann Trophy candidate senior midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic continues to be the leader of the Akron attack with five goals and five assists on the season. Three of those goals came in two games in one week, including the game winner with :29 seconds left in a 1-0 win over Oakland. This season Ubiparipovic has two game-winning scores. Last year the second-team All-American recorded team-best six game winners. So far this year he has taken 45 shots, 20 of which have been on goal (44 percent).

Ossie, Ossie, Ossie...oy, oy, oy
Sophomore defender Ossie Michalsen has picked up right where he left off last season as one of the top defensive players around. After a shaky start in the season opener vs. UCSB, the defense has settled down, allowing just five goals over the last 10 games. The Zips have recorded seven shutouts this season.
An All-MAC selection as a freshman last year, Michalsen has been given the honor of team co-captain, along with senior Sinisa Ubiparipovic. Michalsen is a smart player who can keep his cool while organizing the team from his center back position.

Fresh Faces...
Junior transfer Devin McKenney has been a pleasant addition for the Zips in the back, appearing in 12 games and starting 11. McKenney missed all of the preseason after undergoing hernia surgery on the first day of preseason camp. He spent his first two seasons at Dayton and is a native of North Olmsted, Ohio.
Another player who has made his mark is junior Elliot Bradbrook. Bradbrook joined the team in the spring after two years at Ashland University. Bradbrook was a Division II third-team All-American in 2005 and has started nine games for Akron.
Freshman Ben Zemanski has made a smooth transition to the college game. The high school NSCAA All-American out of Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy has appeared in 11 games, missing the Davidson victory due to injury. After coming on off the bench in the first half vs. Indiana, Zemanski played the entire second half for the Zips. He has since started the last five games.

Fresh Start...
While they aren't new to the Akron pitch, several players have seen the 2006 season bring new life to their playing careers. Senior Ashley Kozicki appeared in just seven games a year ago after transferring from St. John's University. This year Kozicki has played in all 13 matches, starting seven. He had a goal in Akron's 2-1 win over St. Francis (Sept. 3) and came up with the winner with just one minute left in the second overtime vs. St. Bonaventure on Sept. 1. For his efforts he was named the MAC Player of the Week. His four goal of the season came on Oct. 10 in a 2-0 win over Wright State. He is currently second on the team in scoring (4g, 1a- 9 points).
Junior Pablo Moreira missed the 2005 season while recovering from a knee injury. In his first two years at Akron combined he appeared in 26 games with four starts, tallying three goals in 2004. This year he has started all 13 games and is third on the team in scoring (3g, 1a- 7 points) and is second in shot attempts (28). Two of his scores have been game winners, tying him for the team lead with Sinisa Ubiparipovic and Matt Tutich..

Zips Bits...
- The Zips saw their 21-game home unbeaten streak snapped with a 2-0 loss to Indiana on Sept, 20. Akron had gone 20-0-1 at home prior to the game, with its last loss coming at the hands of Western Michigan, 1-0 on Oct. 15, 2004.
- Nineteen Akron players hit the pitch in the 3-0 win over IPFW on Sept. 17. Included in that group was redshirt freshman Ivan Sandoval who made his first-ever appearance for the Zips.
- Freshman Vedran Ilic made his Akron debut on Sept. 3 against St. Francis. That brings to three the number of true freshman who have seen time on the pitch for the Zips this season ( Ben Zemanski, Rostand Erlichman). Zemanski has played in 12 of 13 games for Akron, missing the win over Davidson on Aug. 27 due to injury. Erlichman has made nine appearances, picking up an assist in the win over Western Michigan (Sept. 29).
- Of the 12 goals Akron has allowed this season, seven have come during the run of play. The Zips have caught a few unlucky breaks, with three PK goals coming off hand ball calls, and two perfectly-played set pieces by opponents resulting in scores.
- Akron went 1-1 in the preseason with a 1-0 loss to No. 10 Creighton, followed by a 1-0 victory over No. 17 St. John's.
- Both matches were part of the second-annual Westfield Insurance Cup held at Lee Jackson Field.
- Sinisa Ubiparipovic netted the game winner for Akron vs. St. John's in the 71st minute off a pass from Jonathan McClain.